London Velopark
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The London Velopark will be constructed in Newham and Waltham Forest in East London in England as one of the 'Big 5' permanent Olympic venues.[1]
The funding for the Velopark was confirmed in February 2005[2] and the project was scheduled to go ahead whether or not London's bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics was successful.[3]
However as London's bid for the Games was successful the velodrome will be built with a spectator capacity of 6,000 rather than 1,500 seats that it would otherwise have had. The other facility at the site which will be used for the Olympics is the outdoor BMX racing track, which will also have a spectator capacity of 6,000.
The Velopark will be situated at the northern end of London's Olympic Park. After the Games it will be extended further northwards, with the legacy road cycling circuit straddling the A12 and extending into the old Eton Manor site, where the mountain biking area will be located.[4]
In addition to the two Olympic venues the London Velopark will feature a 1.6km road racing circuit, a cross-country mountain bike course and an outdoor cycle speedway circuit. However the road racing at the Olympics will take place in Regent's Park and Hampstead Heath and the surrounding streets, and the mountain biking will be held at Weald Country Park in Essex. Cycle speedway is not an Olympic discipline.
The Velopark is scheduled to be completed in 2008 at an estimated cost of £37 million. The velodrome will also be used for the 2012 Paralympics.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ London 2012: Cycle venue design set in motion 15 February 2007
- ^ London 2012: Green light for London Velopark plans 15 February 2005
- ^ Report of the IOC Evaluation Commission on the London bid
- ^ London 2012: Demolition work starts on Olympic Park site 14 December 2006
- ^ British Paralympic Association: London 2012 unveil Paralympic venue plan November 2006
[edit] External links
- Lee Valley Park: The Velodrome and BMX Course
- Cycling Weekly: Eastway Savaged and Off-Road Circuit Killed Off 5 February 2007
- Cycling Weekly: £50m for Cycling – But Olympic Velopark Too Small 13 February 2007
- Cycling Weekly: London Alliance Object to Velopark Plans 20 February 2007
- London Borough of Newham: Cycling and the London Games
- London Development Agency: Plans for new London ‘VeloPark’ announced,15 February 2005
- London Development Agency: Search is on for Olympic Velopark designer and construction advisors 27 May 2005
- British Cycling: The London Olympic Bid and Eastway Cycle Circuit December 2003
- London Assembly: Fiftieth Mayor’s Report to the Assembly 16 March 2005
- BikeBiz: Eastway road and MTB circuit is safe, says British Cycling 19 December 2003
- BikeBiz: Eastway cyclists get a new site 6 October 2003
- cyclingnews.com: London cycling complex announced 16 February 2005
- Singletrack: Eastway mountain biking still at risk from Olympic plans 16 December 2003
